U.S. Navy confirms Chinese sub surfaces near US carrier

[Magogman]

The U.S. Navy today confirmed a report in the newspaper Washington Times that a Chinese Song Class submarine stalked and surfaced undetected within 7 km of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk without any kind of communication with the naval group.  The incidence reportedly occurred on October 26 in the South China Sea as the Kitty Hawk's carrier strike group conducted joint exercises with Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force.  

The Kitty Hawk group was conducting routine carrier training at the time of the incident and apparently the Navy was not conducting antisubmarine warfare operations at the time.

The Song Class submarine is a diesel electric boat 246 feet long and nine years old which carries ship to ship missles and torpedoes. It can operate extremely quiet although the Chinese were not known to be able to operate the Song Class subs at their maxium stealth mode. The US Navy must have been extremely lax to allow the sub to approach so close and remain undetected -- it was spotted by an airplane on routine operations.  The Navy has not known Chinese subs to operate this far from Chinese waters before and the Navy must have been extremely lax to allow this incident to happen.

Currently Pacific Fleet Commander Adm Gary Goughead is visiting China to meet with civilian and military leaders and if the incident was not designed to embarrass him it certainly was designed to send a message to the US Navy. I doubt a Chinese submarine commander would take such actions on his own initiative; rather he would be following orders from Beijing.

I would not be surprised if several heads dont roll in the Kitty Hawk strike group -- this is very embarrassing to the Kitty Hawk and the Navy.

I think it is safe to say the US Navy will be vigorously practicing ASW operations now that this incident has occurred.